


Hearts Interwined

by ItsAkira (Nasharuu)



Series: Nash's Shujin AU series [1]
Category: Persona Series
Genre: Established Tatsuya/Jun, Everyone is gay until further notice, M/M, Me and my self indulgent shit, Metaverse/TV World/Tartarus is kinda existent, Minato is alive only for him to suffer, Shujin AU, Takes place in a P5 perspective, They have their Personas back, also Shinjiro
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-02
Updated: 2020-08-25
Packaged: 2020-10-05 07:44:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 11,519
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20485331
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nasharuu/pseuds/ItsAkira
Summary: Shujin AU in which our boys will live a (not) peaceful school life.[CURRENTLY BEING RE-WRITEN]





	1. Introduction/Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This is something I'm working on, ergo it will take its time, so updates might vary and be inconsitent. please be mindful with that and take it easy.  
this idea came to me out of sheer self-indulgence. I wanted to have all main Persona games thrown into a huge mix but with P5 as a base, so the mental shutdowns are the main focus along with the Phantom Thieves.  
Basically P5 story but with the rest of the characters.
> 
> For now, I'm using Vanilla P5, not Persona 5 The Royal so rest easy. Maybe when P5R comes out for the West I'll edit the story to fit with it. I will use Persona 4 Golden and Persona 3 Portable/FES for the base of the rest of the characters. Also some 'minor' spoilers from both Megami Ibunroku Persona (P1 but the PSP version) and the Persona 2 duology. For now, I will not use the PQ series (mostly because of P1 and P2) but there might be cameos.
> 
> -Entities are bound to their respective "worlds" aka Shadows to Mayonaka TV/Tartarus and Demons to Metaverse and P1/2. Some demons can manifest outside of the "worlds".
> 
> -Only when the demons leave their "worlds", the teams can work together. Every team is bounded to their "worlds" ex: SEES= Tartarus, IT= Mayonaka TV
> 
> -They all retain their canon ages.
> 
> -Even if it's a P5 perspective, the other games' stories merge into the story, (except the ending of Persona 2 Innocent Sin)
> 
> -Some characters might be OOC or have a different personality/approach than their canon ones. This is mostly from my own experiences playing the games/reading the Mangas/watching the anime. Also some of my headcannons will be implemented, so be mindful of that.
> 
> -Tags and Rating might change as the story progresses. Characters and themes will appear in the tag as they are introduced.
> 
> Sorry for this short ass part. It's just a small introduction of the things that will happen and clarifications. I will try to post Chapter 1 today or tomorrow, if I'm free (I'm also working on Pegoryu Week so check that out too wink wonk)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> EDIT: changed Ryuji and Akira from second year to third year. Plot change reasons. Therefore, some text was changed to reflect that. (01/29/2020)

**Minato- Senior**

**Yu- Senior**

**Akihiko- Senior**

**Yosuke- Senior**

**Akira- Senior**

**Ryuji- Senior**

**Tatsuya- Senior**

**Jun- Junior**

**Naoya- ?**

**\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

“And that’s all for today. Remember to read the lectures, I’m going to ask randomly tomorrow” said Ms. Chouno with her signature smirk on her face. The rest of the students packed their things and bolted out of the classroom as the final bell bounced in the hallways, signaling the end of the day. Thank God. Ryuji left his homeroom and soon, his phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled out the device and saw that it was a message from Akira. 

**Covfefe: **Hey are you free?

**Sho(ryu)ken> **yea just out of rn, y?

**Covfefe: **Just asking. Want to hang out at our spot?

Ryuji smiled at the screen of his phone. He has been missing hanging out with Akira due school. The events of last year threw his entire life back into the monotony of regularity. There where a few changes here and there, like Akira staying in Tokyo, and the start of their last year, he was starting to miss his best friend.**  
  
**

**Sho(ryu)ken: **sure man. b there.

**Covfefe: **ok, I’ll be waiting ;)

The blond made his way towards the rooftop with a bit of eagerness. As he arrived, he saw Akira sitting in one of the arrays of desks in there. The raven turned after he heard the door close, flashing a smile towards Ryuji. The blond sat at the desk after Akira shuffled a bit to give him a space to sit. Both boys spent time hanging out at the rooftop of Shujin, chatting idly and sharing jokes with one another.

Ryuji loved this. Spending time with his best friend, being in their own little bubble where nobody could pull them out and just savouring the presence of each other in a comfortable silence.

_ Nobody _ could change that.

****   
  
  


** _Right?_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, this story is a big project, but it's something I do for fun and since I have a real life, it will take time. Things listed above might change with time as I also progress with some of the games (P2 Eternal Punishment/P1/the rest of P3) or I just simply change them to suit the story better.
> 
> Thank you so much for understanding and thanks for reading.


	2. Setting Up for The Worst.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akira thought he will have a normal life after the events of last year....
> 
> Oh but how wrong he is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (It says that this is chap 2 but it’s really the first one, since the past chapter was a small intro so ignore that lmao)
> 
> Eyy came after a long time, didn’t it? I edited this chapter a lot and finally finished it. I want to do long chapters, so its taking a toll on me since I don’t usually surpass 1k. 
> 
> Anyways, this and the next chapters are still a “setting up” type of chapters. I don’t want to rush into things too soon. (Let’s see how much I last lmao)
> 
> I know this isn’t going to be a hit story but hey, I really don’t mind. 
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> EDIT: fixed a continuity error. No more double Ann’s (01/29/2020)

**Chapter 1: **Setting Up for The Worst.

Another day of school, thought Akira while fixing his glasses. He could hear Morgana rustling inside his bag, trying to get comfortable inside. The frizzy haired boy walked out of his classroom after bidding Mishima goodbye. He checked his phone and decided to hit Ryuji, asking if he could go hang out, until he bounced with someone accidentally, dropping his glasses. Akira quickly scrambled to pick them up, muttering several apologies to the person he crashed with. 

“Hey it’s ok. I wasn’t checking where I was going either, if I’m honest” the person said, to which Akira looked up and saw a boy with unkempt black hair, slightly brown eyes (Akira swore he saw them turn violet for a second) and a silver earring in one ear. He had a smile on his face as he extended a hand towards Akira. He seemed…. Happy to bump with Akira? The Phantom Thief hesitated, but took his hand and stood up. 

“Sorry again for bumping into you. I’m kinda in a hurry so, bye!” he said while he resumed his course and ran down the hallway. Akira was dumfolded at the scene that just happened, but nonetheless he continued with his initial plan. Morgana poked his head out of the bag, his blue eyes fixed onto Akira. 

“That was weird…” said the cat, addressing the boy they just bumped into. Akira nodded. He never saw that guy before. He ignored it and walked outside, meeting Ann and Ryuji at the gates. As soon Akira made his presence known, the blond wrapped his arm around his shoulders.

“Yo, big bastard” joked Ryuji, his smile growing. Akira snorted and shoved his best friend with glee. Ann shook her head in mock disappointment, moving closer so she could embrace Akira too. 

“Move, Ryuji. Akira is my friend too” she chirped, slothing herself in between the two boys, her arms gripping the raven’s middle with exaggerated affection. Akira laughed but returned the hug, equally dramatic. 

“Aww Ann…I love you too but you are cutting circulation to my legs, and I kinda need them” he said, causing the model to break the hug with a wide smile. They made their way towards the station, making small talk and joking with each other, until Akira felt a surge of energy near them; a disturbance. The frizzy haired teen looked around for the source, just seeing businessmen and women along with other pedestrians nearby them, being unable to find it. 

“Akira?” called Ann from his side, her teal eyes filled with confusion and worry. The teen shook his head, both snapping out of his stupor and answering to Ann. 

“I got distracted, sorry” he apologized, looking again around him to make sure. He still couldn’t find the source of the energy. He just shrugged at it left it be, not before he felt Morgana shift inside his bag.

``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````

Morgana curled near Akira in their makeshift bed. The feline was purring delightfully, mumbling incoherencies in his sleep, the only things he could make of him was about ‘stealing the biggest treasure he ever saw’ and Ann’s name. His owner, on the other hand, was fully awake having a staring match with the attic’s ceiling. His mind was racing with rampant thoughts. 

_ ‘What was that at the station?’ _

He wasn’t sure, yet he was curious. It seems like it was...calling him? But only **he** could sense it, not even Morgana commented on it! Akira didn’t knew at what moment he slowly drifted into unconsciousness.

  
  
  


_ “Welcome back, Trickster” _

The deafening sound of chains made the teen jolt and sit up in a flash. Akira looked around him, his old cell now closed off, and a proper wooden door took place of the metal bars. The golden _ V _ in the dark blue circle with equal golden addons stapled on the door. _ The Velvet Room symbol. _ The frizzy haired boy blinked, confused. Didn’t the Metaverse disappeared? Why was he in The Velvet Room and why it looks different from last time?

Akira stood up, his clothes weren’t the old, tattered prison clothes he used to wear. Instead, he had his regular outdoors outfit, white button up and black pants. He approached the door, and twisted the knob, emerging into a hallway. The end of it being engulfed in a blue hue. Akira strolled across the hallway, looking the other similar doors of his “cell”. There where, adding his, 7 doors in total. One of them caught his attention. Old and heavily damaged, wooden splinters everywhere. The Velvet Room symbol looked like it was ripped off the door. It was, apparently, broken too, because when Akira tried to move the doorknob, it didn’t budge. Odd. 

Akira finally reached the end of the hallway, slightly blinded by the light, and he was met with a… _ peculiar _ sight.

The hallway ended in a really round, and wide closed area, like he remembered from looking outside of his cell, with 4 dark blue doors on the far wall behind the center. Speaking of, in the middle of the room was the wooden desk with the man himself sitting, tapping his long fingers and his wide smile unwavering. 

“Igor..” said Akira, unsure but determined, eyeing the various chairs in front of the desk. There were some questions needed to be answered.

“Welcome once more, Kurusu, to The Velvet Room”

  
  


“So, I assume something happened since this place is back,” said the teen as he sat in the chair facing Igor, his hands on his knees. The man slowly nodded. 

“Ah, still so sharp I see” complimented the man, his fingers tapping on the wooden desk. “You’re right, I have summoned you here to address some issues at hand…” he started, making a gesture with his hand, showing Akira faint silhouettes in a blue hue. 

“These are my attendants. I have lost contact with them after the events of last year” explained Igor, to which Akira winced. Last year was a mess, but it was one of the best years the raven ever lived. 

“Where’s Lavenza?” he asked, not seeing the little girl near Igor. The man looked at his desk with contemplation. 

“She went to retrieve them, but sadly she hasn’t returned” he then looked up at Akira. Somehow, Igor’s stare told him that wasn’t the only thing.

“That’s not the only thing, isn’t it?” responded the teen, his gaze fixed to Igor’s “something bigger is going to happen. That’s why you called me here, isn’t it?” the man sat back in his chair, scrutinizing Akira with his stare.

“Not only I lost my attendants, but there’s the warn of a dormant foe threatening to awake once more”

At his words, Akira felt a full body shiver take over. “But how are we going to stop it? The Metaverse is gone, and we can’t access our Personas anymore”

Igor chuckled, his hand returning to rest over the desk, fingers tapping. “My dear Trickster, you have returned to The Velvet Room, haven’t you?” at that, Akira’s grey eyes widen. Of course! He _ was _in The Velvet Room, which means that The Metaverse was back. That also meant..

**“Heh, took you time to realize, Wildcard” **Akira couldn’t help the wide smile on his face. 

_ “Arsene...” _

**“In the flesh, cherie. Missed me?”**

Akira giggled _ “You don’t know how much” _

When he shut the mind link, he shifted his gaze towards Igor, who looked at him with his bloodshot gaze, analyzing. “It seems that your Persona has resurfaced once more. Good”

Akira nodded, then gripped his hands on his knees as he pondered his words. His visit might be as limited as before, if not less, so he had to organize his thoughts. “Igor, is this threat… worse than Yaldabaoth?” 

Igor remained silent, making the frizzy haired boy anxious. “I’m afraid to confirm that, yes, it is… But I’m sure you are capable of fulfilling this task. You are not alone, after all” 

Akira looked up at the man with a confused gaze, brows furrowed. Igor just chuckled and looked at the vacant chairs near his guest. “You will know in time, Trickster. Return to your place, time’s up.”

Akira just obliged and trugged back to his room, Igor’s words luring him as he came back to reality.

  
  
  


Akira jolted upwards, sending Morgana, who was peacefully sleeping on his chest, towards the wooden floor. “Joker? What’s wrong?” asked the feline to his owner. The teen just shook his head, and stood up from his bed. He reached for his phone at his side, and checked it. Lo and behold, there it sat, the thing that started everything…

“Joker?” 

Akira locked his phone, the red app burning in his mind.

“It’s nothing Mona”

It has started.

  
  


“Are you sure you’re ok?” asked Morgana for the upmtenth time today. Akira just ignored the furball and made his way towards Shujin, listening to other students’ conversations on his way. “Akira..” 

“Yooo, ‘Kira!” called Ryuji, materializing out of thin air and wrapping his arm around the bespectacled teen’s shoulders and cutting Morgana mid sentence. “Another day on this shithole… man what a pain”

Akira just remained silent, even ignoring the pet name used on him, his mind being occupied by remembering Igor’s words from last night. _ ‘But I’m sure you are capable of fulfilling this task. You are not alone, after all’ _ Akira shut his eyes for a moment, trying to activate his Mind’s Eye. Eventually, his surroundings shifted into a blue hue, only the darkened silhouettes of the other living beings around them being shown. He looked at both Ryuji and Morgana, seeing the all-to-familiar Arcana’s over their heads. 

**“Seiten Taisei and Mercurius… they are here too,” **said Arsene, and Akira swore he heard sadness in his persona’s voice. The frizzy haired boy blinked as he returned to his normal vision. They reached Shujin’s front gates, but quickly stopped when they saw a group of students huddled together, surrounding something.

“Woah, what’s happening there?” asked the blond, his grip around Akira lessening. They slowly approached the circle of teens, filled with curiosity as them. Morgana hopped over Akira’s head to gain some advantage. 

“Oh wow! Is he a student too?” asked Morgana from his position, confusing both boys. Suddenly, the students who where in front of them moved away, giving more space for Akira and Ryuji to see. There, in the center of the circle, was a boy around their age, his clothes where the Shujin uniform, but with some modifications to it. The blazer was open, and a clear blue tie hung from his neck. He didn’t wore the turtleneck, having the button up they used for summer instead. He also had a pair of black sneakers with white lines. Not only that, but he was seated over a black shiny motorcycle that had a _ peculiar yet familiar _ logo on it. 

“Duuuude, its that guy really from Shujin!?” said Ryuji with awe, completely thrown off by this student. The guy removed the black helmet off his head, showing a reddish hair and sharp, brown eyes. This guy faintly reminded Akira of Yusuke, same face features, same long eyelashes and similar hair, only that this boy’s hair was spiked at the nape instead. The mysterious guy locked eyes with Akira, and suddenly, another surge of energy caught up to the thief. He quickly closed his eyes and his heart leaped to his throat. 

_ The Sun arcana.. And…! _

Akira was returned from his Mind’s eye by Ryuji, who shook him and gave him a wary stare. “Akira, that guy is looking at us… well, you” he followed the gaze of his best friend and, yep, the guy was still looking at _ him. _

Morgana, who returned to the bag, peeked his head out to whisper at his teammates. “Akira, Ryuji, let’s go inside. The bell is about to ring and we don’t want to catch more attention…”

“He’s right, c’mon Akira” replied the blond, pulling his friend along. Akira looked behind him for one last time as he saw the mysterious guy break his gaze on him when another person walked towards him. 

_ ‘But I’m sure you are capable of fulfilling this task. _

Igor’s words now made more sense than before, he didn’t mean his friends had their personas back...

** _You are not alone_ ** _ , after all’ _

  
  
This was going to be a **long **year…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now if you excuse me, I’ll be back to the hole I come from ;) 
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	3. Gears Set Into Motion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First the meeting with Igor, then the Metaverse, and Mementos, is back. 
> 
> Not only that but, there’s a student he never saw before, with a,, peculiar aura.
> 
> Things only get weirder from here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn’t knew how hard writing this thing is holy shit.
> 
> EDIT: Fixed some errors and definition (because I'm dumb enough to use US grade system instead of Japan's hhhh). Added more context/bits of story so some dialogues aren't so empty. (12/31/19)

**Chapter 2: ** Gears Set Into Motion.

Akira stood outside his best friend’s classroom. His mind was spinning with many thoughts about what exactly is going on. 

** _“Wildcard? Something is bothering you…” _ ** he was jolted by Arsene’s voice. The raven fixed his glasses that were a little askew, as he sharply scanned his surroundings. 

** _“Is it about Igor’s words?_ **

_ ‘Yes.. I don’t know what they mean yet but… I think I have a hunch’ _

A chuckle.  ** _“Let’s see what is it about then… but first”_ **

Arsene cut off the Mind Link as soon as the classroom door opened at his side. Students began to file out in groups and Akira searched for a shine of yellow in the sea of people. 

“Uhh… excuse me?” he heard at his side, making him stop searching for Ryuji and attend the new person. It was a girl, she had red-brown hair in a short ponytail and hair clips. She had red eyes too. Her pin had a 2 on it.  _ ‘A second-year?’  _

“Uh, yes?” asked the frizzy haired boy. The girl fidgeted a little, looking around. She seemed nervous. 

“Yeah, uhh, have you seen a boy with blue dyed hair and headphones? He is a third year…” 

Akira tried to remember if he saw someone with that description, sadly, his mind came back blank. “Sorry, I haven’t…” he replied, seeing her face drop significantly. 

“Oh.. sorry for taking your time then, I’ll keep looking. Thanks anyways” and with that, she was gone. When he followed her lithe form, he was blocked by a eye-straining yellow graphic tee. 

“Damn man, another one shot down?” joked Ryuji, his hands on his pockets. Akira shook his head, but before he could reply, Morgana climbed up his shoulder.

“She came asking if we saw a third year, a boy with blue dyed hair and headphones…” at his words, Ryuji tensed. 

“Wait, for real!? She was looking for that Arisato guy?” 

“Arisato?” asked the raven with visible confusion. At the mention of that name, his soul shifted slightly, but Akira pay it no mind. Ryuji got closer to them, his arm looping on Akira’s shoulders. 

“Yeah, Minato Arisato. Dude is a legend here… there is a buncha rumors about him…” 

** _“Mmm..”_ **

_ ‘What’s wrong, Arsene?”  _

No response. Akira walked with Ryuji on his heels, the light of the windows reflected on his glasses. “H-hey! Where are you going, man?”

“Let’s call the others. A meeting is due”

  
  
  


“Wait, are you serious!?” said Ryuji, his body almost thrown across the table as he leaned in towards Akira. They managed to contact the rest of the Phantom Thieves, with some issues like getting Makoto and Haru, and Akira just explained them his chat with Igor last night. “What do you mean Mementos is back?”

“I wish I knew, Ryuji…” he responded, messing with his bangs.

“But.. isn’t Yaldabaoth dead? How is the Metaverse back?” Asked Ann, her expression filled with conflict. 

“We still don’t know…” chimed Morgana from his spot on Ann’s lap. 

“And you say that you felt a “surge of energy” twice?” this time was Makoto who asked, and the raven nodded. 

“It happened first on the subway a few days ago, then it happened today at the entrance” explained Akira while messing with his bangs. 

“With that motorcycle guy?” Ryuji inquired, sitting back next to Futaba. Akira nodded at him. He is still confused about that guy they saw today, but somehow he knows he’s involved into this mess.

_ After all, he... _

“Motorcycle guy?” asked Ann, her hand on Morgana’s back midpet “who are you talking about?” Ryuji turned to her with a wild expression. 

“It was a dude from Shujin, he had brown hair and really sharp eyes, Oh! He had a blue tie too”

“Blue tie? Ah!” gasped Makoto in realization

“Oh, it’s him…” chimed Haru, her expression beaming in remembrance “You met Tatsuya-kun, didn’t you?”

“Tatsuya?” asked Ann, her face twisted in confusion. Certainly, the name didn’t rang a bell. 

“Tatsuya Suou, he’s a senior in Shujin. He transferred from another school when he was a second year” explained Makoto, her eyes strained somewhere else “he has a reputation, though” 

“He’s a sweetheart! Has a hard exterior but he cares a lot” said Haru with delight. Her face looked like she was reminiscing a nice memory. Ryuji sighed, his body returning to the chair he was sitting, leaning his weight on the backrest of it.

“Well, the dude has to be something else if Haru of all people is talking wonders about ‘im” 

“But, how is he involved with the Metaverse in the first place?” asked Futaba “he sounds like a regular troublemaker dude with a motorcycle”

“Well, Akira mentioned he felt a surge of energy emanating from him, that means he is important, yes?” mused Yusuke, his posture pensative. 

“That’s not all…” mumbled Akira. He suddenly got the attention of everyone in the attic, pressuring him to continue. Akira took a deep breath, his stale eyes fixed with his teammates.

“He is a Wildcard too…”

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tatsuya looked at his right, like he  _ needed  _ to do that or else he will lose the chance. As soon as he did, he locked eyes with a grey pair, and the area around them shifted.  _ ‘No way’  _

** _‘Suou!.. he..!”_ **

The connection was cut quickly, as the blond guy behind him tugged him away inside the school gates. The boy with frizzy hair looked back at him one more time, before disappearing inside the school.

** _“Is he…” _ ** the voice of his Persona resonated with passion. Tatsuya nodded.

_ “Yes, he is”  _ he responded, his eyes closing in another figure approaching him  _ “but not now, Apollo. I have to ask Philemon first”  _

  
  
  


Tatsuya entered the shining blue door on the rooftop of Shujin, his eyes landing on the same room he was before. When Tatsuya first arrived to Tokyo, it was a fresh breath of air from his old life in Regendai. He still misses his hometown, but his life was finally more  _ normal _ , after the events a year prior. 

But everything changed when the Phantom Thieves started going wild online and outside. He has heard of the story, even his brother Katsuya inspected the case, on how this vigilante group took all of Japan by storm in less than a month. At that moment, he never interacted with his Persona, Apollo, or even heard of Igor and Philemon again. 

Until now.

_ Now,  _ Philemon and Igor are reaching for him, and Apollo was back too.

Tatsuya opened the door of his ‘room’ into the hallway. One of the doors had a dark red light above.  _ That wasn’t there before.. _

Tatsuya looked at his own door, now lit in a less blood colored red. The teen walked all the way until he found Igor, his long fingers tapping rhythmically over the table. The brunet sat in one of the chairs in front of Igor, on other chairs, this time near Igor, sat three figures.

“Tatsuya-chan, I thought you where a goner.” beckoned Belladonna while playing with the puff sleeves around her dress’s shoulder. It was weird not hearing her speak while singing. She sat cross legged, her gaze fixed on the agi user. Next to her, was Nameless. His hands where clasped together over his lap.

“You might wonder why we brought you here now… “ Tatsuya nodded “oh! It seems you have encountered  _ him _ ” the brunett was startled by the sudden change of topic. 

“Who?” asked the teen, his eyes shifting from Belladonna, then Nameless and finally resting on Igor.

“The Trickster” a voice claimed, accompanied by pristine footsteps. 

Emerging from the darkness of the room, he stood at the right of Igor’s desk, his hands folded behind his back. Tatsuya tensed at the figure standing in front of him.

_ Philemon. _

“He is aware of the return of the Demon Realm, in this case for him, Mementos. And you both crossed paths for the first time” explained Philemon, his face expressionless due to his stark white mask. Tatsuya frowned  _ ‘Mementos?’ _

“He is also able to wield multiple Personas, making him what we call a Wildcard” said Igor.

“I knew that energy from him was peculiar…” he mumbled, brown eyes meeting the floor. He remembered the feeling that suddenly ran across his body when they made eye contact.  _ The winged figure behind him, too... _

** _“Another one of us… interesting” _ ** mused Apollo. 

“But, why now? What are you planning, Philemon?” asked Tatsuya with a small scowl. He didn’t trusted Philemon, not after what happened last year.

Or almost happened, that is.

Philemon shook his head, one of his hands extended towards Tatsuya in a gentlemanly way. “Soon you will know, Suou” 

After that exchange, Tatsuya was sent back to his room, exiting the Velvet Room for now.

_ What did Philemon did now? _

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The oppressing atmosphere is something they never got used to, no matter how many times they were there. 

“So Mementos  _ is _ back” mutered Queen, seeing her surroundings with dread and awe. The area wasn’t the sickening black and red, rather a dull grey and white color scheme, making it look holy. 

“This place was here due to Yaldabaoth’s influence, now that he is dead, there is no control in the Metaverse” said Mona, his regular cat form still retained. Since Mona is a creation of the cognition, he could still exist as a cat due to his Metaverse form being destroyed. 

“But, If the Metaverse is back, then that means someone  _ as powerful _ as Yaldabaoth is in control” asked Oracle in her spot, sitting on a bench with her knees up her chest. 

“That must be the case” 

“Well, no time to lose then!” chimed Skull, cracking his knuckles “let’s find who’s been messin’ with the Metaverse”

“But, how are we supposed to go around? Mona can’t transform into a van anymore” said Panther, pointing at the feline on her side. Mona ducked his head in guilt, ears flopped over his head.

“I’m sorry…”

“Don’t be, Mona” reassured Noir, petting the animal with care “it’s not your fault”

“I’ll guess we need to find a way to go down Mementos, for now we have to return” Decided Joker, turning towards his team and pulling his phone out.

“Seems reasonable. It’s dangerous to waltz in and be attacked by hordes of Shadows” mused Fox, a hand under his chin. At his side, Skull groaned in disappointment. The world shifted around them as they left the Metaverse. 

  
  


Back on the school rooftop, the team glanced around, seeing that it was pretty late. The sky was tinted with a canvas full of oranges, yellows and speckles of red. Yusuke framed the sky with his fingers, the tall skyscrapers and the Tokyo Tower adorning the background.

“Sooo, the Metaverse is back huh” said Ryuji, his arm looped around Akira’s shoulders and bringing him closer. The raven felt a tug on his chest at the action and Arsene’s flames burned with livid passion.  _ Weird _ . 

“Yeah. what Igor told me seems to be the case” he pondered, still trying to come up with an idea of why the Metaverse was back and kicking. With it, means that the Phantom Thieves are back? He wasn’t sure. Shido and Akechi weren’t there to threaten them anymore but he wanted to get to the bottom of this.

“Welp, guess we are back in business!” gleamed the blond, closing a bit more of their distance in a sideways hug. The bespectacled teen smiled softly, accepting the hug. He loved this moments with Ryuji, his best friend, not like he didn’t care about his other friends. But Ryuji had  _ something  _ that Akira was fascinated with, yet he couldn’t pinpoint what it was exactly.

A noise made the teen perk up. Akira turned around and he quickly saw another person with them, emerging out of a  _ blue ethereal door. _

Akira gasped, gaining the attention of his team and the other person with them. Their sharp, brown eyes piercing his being. The same surge of energy rocked their bodies in a wave of dizziness. 

  
  


Tatsuya Suou.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now I disappear for another month ayy
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	4. The Motorcycle Boy.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Thieves encounter Tatsuya Suou, who Akira discovered is indeed a Persona user by the Arcanas of The Sun and The Fool above him. Meanwhile, a mysterious person seems to be making requests on the Phan-site.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trust me the actual thing is not as epic as the summary sounds. sorry 0-0'
> 
> This chapter is a lil shorter because I spend literaly the entire month thinking how to plan this out. I need to get into this fic again. BTW! this fic officially has a schedule!!! it will be updated monthly (minimum once a month) because god I need some order in everything I do. 
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> EDIT: fixed some grammatical errors and changed Lisa’s classroom because I’m a bit forgetful... (01/29/2020)

**Chapter 3: **The Motorcycle Boy.

There was a sepulchral silence, nobody moved an inch. Akira and Tatsuya still locked their eyes with one another. Suou’s gaze was stone cold, unmoving, while Akira’s was filled with surprise, flabbergasted. 

“Oh.. Tatsuya-kun” said Makoto, ending the silence. The two teens broke their staring contest and looked at the student president. 

“Niijima…” he muttered. Akira shifted his attention back to the boy in front of him. He closed his eyes, activating his Mind’s Eye. The bluish silhouette of Tatsuya shone with a bright light, defining his outline. Above his head, there it sat: The card had The Sun on one side, while the opposite had The Fool. 

“Akira?” said a voice, pulling the thief out of his state. He noticed that Tatsuya was looking at him with a frown. _ Was he caught looking at him? _

Ann, the one who pulled Akira out of the Mind’s Eye, propped her arm over Akira’s shoulder. The frizzy haired boy coughed, composing back and looked at Tatsuya with a serious expression.

“We need to talk” he said, his hands hiding in the pockets of his pants. The brunet scoffed, looking away from the group. Akira felt his frown starting to form. 

“Look dude, we know that you are like ‘Kira. there is no need to hide it, yeah?” piped in Ryuji, crossing his arms. At that, Tatsuya looked at the blond, his expression delivering surprise and annoyance. His eyes fixed themselves on Akira once more, and after a long silence, he sighed. Akira thought he might finally cooperate, now that he was exposed, but he didn’t expect him to turn away from them and walk towards the rooftop’s door. 

“H-hey! Where are you going?!” chided Ann, her hands balling into fists. Tatsuya looked behind him with a blank stare. 

“I have more important stuff to take care off, instead of following another student around” 

And with no other comment, he left the other teens. 

_ ‘What a pain’ _

  
—————————————————————  
  


“Ooook so trying to get Tatsuya-kun was an absolute disaster,” said Ann, as she slumped over the bench. The team was now huddled in the subway station, everyone sporting a different degree of defeat. Akira, on his side, was hunched over, hands clasped together and a pensive yet annoyed expression on his face. 

**“Why so sour, Wildcard?”**

He ignored his Persona’s inquiries and looked back at his team. He tried to come with an idea, yet his mind was blank. He had so many questions, and he isn’t sure if he can address Igor about it.

Morgana perked up, sensing someone else in the area. His blue eyes shifted from side to side around them, not noticing anything out of the ordinary. Ryuji noticed the movement, and laid a hand over the feline’s head.

“Yo dude, what’s wrong with’cha? Look like you saw someone?” he asked with a small smirk. Morgana pawed the blond’s hand away, and frowned at him. Now the rest of the team was looking at him. 

“I felt like someone is here… it must be my imagination” he shook his head, trying to shake the feeling out of his body.

  
  


Meanwhile, on the distance behind a pillar, a pair of purple eyes pinned themselves on the group, as dexterous hands typed on a phone. 

** _>‘I think I saw them at the station. Haven’t done anything sus… I’ll keep you up’_ **

  
  
———————————————————————

Akira was spooked by a notification on his phone, dragging his attention from the homework laid in front of him. Morgana was curled on the mattress, taking a nap. The bespectacled teen took the device and checked the notification. It was a message from Ryuji. 

**Sho(ryu)ken: **dude, have any idea how to get that motorcycle guy to spill the info?

**Covfefe: **First of all, his name is Tatsuya. Second, what information?

**Sho(ryu)ken: **the fact he knows abt the metaverse, yanno? He is like you too remember?

Akira frowned. Ryuji was right on that, yet he wasn’t so sure. What if Tatsuya didn’t knew about the Metaverse, about Mementos? He was sure he was a Persona user. He saw the Arcana cards over his head, even thought he found suspicious the fact he sported _ two _ Arcanas.

**Covfefe: **yeah, but what if he doesn’t know? He might not be aware of Mementos. 

The teen thought about it, it really messed with his mind. How can a Persona user be bestowed of the ability, yet not know about the Metaverse?

His thoughts were cut short by another notification. This time not by Ryuji, but from Mishima.

**MoonMoon: **Akira! Look at the Phan-site!!!

He listened to the other teen, and on the website was a rather ominous post.

_ ‘Shujin Academy _

_ Class 2-D_

_ Lisa Silverman _

_ She knows too much’ _

Akira looked at the post with concern. It was an anonymous post yet it was so weirdly specific. On cue, the Phantom Thieves chat started to flow with messages.

**Ann: **did you guys saw?? The Phan-Site post I mean

**Makoto: **yeah, it was so specific. 

**Yusuke: **they want us to change this person’s heart? Or it’s just a completely irrelevant thread?

**Makoto: **Futaba, can you try to dig about this post and the target?

**Futaba: ** ‘M on it! (0_ **<**)7

  
  


Like if this event was scripted and set into motion, a message popped on Akira’s inbox. This time, from an unknown contact.

**??** ** _: _ **oooh~ so this is the famous Joker? A pleasure.

**??: **you might be confused. Wanting to know who am I and how I got your contact, right?

**??: **doon’t wooorry! You and your little group will know when the time comes. Be patient.

**??: **oh, btw, you better listen to that post on the Phan-site. It’s important~ adieuuu, Joker!

The teen was speechless. Everything was happening so fast he had no idea what was going on. _ Who was the person who contacted him? Is it tied to what Igor said? _He wasn’t sure, but he knew he had to look into this Silverman girl tomorrow. 

  
———————————————————————  
  


“Lady Ann said she is a blonde girl with blue eyes. Definitely foreign” mentioned Morgana from his spot inside Akira’s bag as they walked towards the 2-D Classroom. Futaba gave the team the information they needed about the girl in the Phan-site post. Lisa Silverman, a Caucasian girl that didn’t speak English, instead she uses Cantonese, and her parents forced to be a “Japanese Lady”. She was apparently part of an idol group called Muses with her two best friends “Mee-ho” and “Sheba”. 

“I wonder if she has a Shadow in Mementos… then again she sounds pretty normal.” said the feline, tucking his head inside the bag when the door of the classroom opened. Students walked out, chatting with each other or alone. In the sea of teens, Akira could spot a blonde girl, blue eyes and accompanied by two other girls. She fit the description perfectly. 

“Uhh… excuse me, Lisa Silverman?” he said when he approached the trio, them looking at Akira with a mix of concern and surprise. The blonde, Lisa, flinched when she saw who was talking to her.

“O-oh.. yeah, that’s me. You are that transfer student…” the raven nodded, fixing his glasses. 

“I need to speak to you. It’ll be just a second, I promise” as soon as he said this, another person rounded the corner, stopping dead in their tracks.

“Lisa? I’m going to Akihabara with Ju-” Tatsuya stood on the other point of the hall, his eyes fixed on Akira. _ Great _. 

“Ah! Chinyan!” gasped the blonde, her blue eyes looking at Tatsuya with worry, then they darted towards Akira not knowing how to react. 

“Uh, Lisa-chan? We are going to practice a little on the studio. If you can, well see you there!” one of the girls said, painfully uncomfortable by the situation, and walked away from the scene with a small wave. 

“Akira! What do we do now…” whispered yelled Morgana from his spot inside Akira’s bag. The thief couldn’t respond to the feline, seeing how he was cornered by Suou and Silverman. That was until he saw movement from behind the blonde. The hallway was engulfed by a dark reddish hue. The three of them whipped around, and the shadow below Silverman shifted into a blob, taking shape into a blue mucous with beady eyes. Akira saw it, and as an impulse, he reached for his glasses.

** _‘Arsene!’_ **

** _‘Apollo!’_ **

Soon, the being disintegrated, leaving nothing but a few yen behind. Silverman looked at Akira, then to Tatsuya, totally speechless. Akira blinked once, twice, and looked at the winged demon above him. Arsene silently looked at Tatsuya, not only him but also his Persona: A tall, lean being with striped clothes and a flaming mask. 

_ What the hell was going on?! _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year everyone! (even though at the time this is going up it's 10:17 for me lol) let's hope this new year and decade is actually better UwU  
Take care, have a nice time with the ones you love and wish the best for everyone.
> 
> Thanks for reading and see ya with more in 2020!!


	5. First Contact

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akira gets to Lisa so he could speak to her and see if she has anything leading to a Shadow in Mementos.
> 
> But the twists of fate never seem to stop surprising him more and more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had so much fun writting this chapter. I know I’m super late and it’s almost February already but, I hope the beginning of the year is being nice to y’all.
> 
> Enjoy!

**Chapter 4: **First Contact.

The silence between the three of them was tense, enough to be cut with a knife. Akira was speechless. The halls of Shujin glow with a gut wrenching red hue he never saw before. And that creature, _ what is happening? _

Tatsuya approached Silverman, an air of familiarity surrounding them. “Are you ok Lisa? It didn’t hurt you, right?” he asked, hands deep into his pockets like he didn’t just calcined a monster mere seconds ago. The blonde girl shook her head, her hands playing with each other in a nervous mannerism. 

“It’s weird, _ I can’t feel her, _ Tacchan…” she mumbled, turning towards Akira. He could see how she jumped a bit, seemingly forgetting his presence altogether. 

“O-oh, yeah. I forgot about you… Kurusu, right?” she inquired, receiving a nod from the raven. Behind her, Tatsuya shifted uncomfortably. “You said you wanted to talk to me, right?

“Lisa..”

The blonde turned towards Suou, a small smile on her face. She waved her hands in front of her rather aloof “don’t worry, _Chinyan*._ I’ll be ok. I could beat his ass if he tries something!” 

Akira watched the exchange, seeing how quickly the girl shifted from scared to determined, even upbeat. She reminded him so much of his own blonde girl, Ann. Tatsuya looked at Akira, his brown eyes filled with fierce distrust. 

When Silverman --Lisa-- approached him, he fixed his glasses. “Silverman-san, are you aware of a post in the Phan-Site made at your expense?”

Her blue eyes widen, her hand toying with the loose strand of hair falling to her jaw. “N-no… is someone..”

“Sending you as a target to the Phantom Thieves? Yes” From the corner of his eye, he saw Tatsuya glaring at him deeply. He quickly composed and returned the stare. After a long moment of silence, Tatsuya spoke.

“What was that?” he said, obviously referring to Arsene. Akira fixed his glasses and shrugged. Soon, the hallway’s atmosphere shifted back to normal, leaving a sharp headache behind it. 

Lisa looked at Tatsuya with a mix of disappointment and reassurement. The brunet stared at Silverman with a look that read _ ‘are you sure?’ _ the blonde just nodded. After another glare from Suou, the senior left the area, walking back to where he came from. When he was gone, Akira felt a tug on his arm. Lisa was beaming at him.

“So! I assume you want to talk about this, huh?”

\----------------------------------------------------

The pair walked side by side, the soft breeze of Spring was calming, despite what just happened a few minutes ago. Lisa has been responding to all of Akira’s questions with pure honesty, and Akira concluded the same thing as all of the others: this was just an ordinary school girl.

“Why are you so interested in knowing about me? It was just a post online” she said, sipping on a can of lemon soda. They stopped on the small courtyard area of the school, where he, Ryuji and Ann hung out before migrating to the rooftop to discuss their Phantom Thieves business. Akira felt his bag rustle, and he shrugged to conceal it.

“That’s just the thing that worries me. Rumors are dangerous, and I don’t want you to be harmed by them” he elaborated. Lisa seemed to laugh at his words, a melancholic gaze was directed to her lap.

“Oh, you have no idea…” she mumbled under her breath. She then perked back up, like nothing even happened.

"That… _ thing _that came out of you. Was that a Persona?” at her words, Akira almost spits his drink. So she did saw Arsene. He was praying she wouldn’t address it, but she seemed eerily understanding of the topic. 

“How-?” he went to ask, but she cut him off again.

“I know, don’t worry. I just… felt jealous that I couldn’t feel _ her _ anymore” she said, a hand laying on her chest. She looked troubled, and Akira was confused. _ ‘She? Who was “she”?’ she couldn’t have meant… _

“But it’s ok! Well, unless now. I thought I would be living a regular life now, but I now see that it isn’t the case” she said, tossing her can into the trash bin _“Fanna*…._ What a pain” 

The raven looked at the girl with a face filled with concern. Million thoughts raced through his head at mach speed. “Did you…” he cut himself mid sentence. Lisa looked at him with intrigue. Akira tried again “did you… _ saw _ or _ heard _ about the Phantom Thieves or anything specific?”

She tilted her head in confusion, but it lit up in recognition.

“You mean The Joker?” the air was punched out of Akira’s lungs at her words. **_‘What’_** he felt his bag thrash around, and he wasn’t even trying to be subtle about it. “That’s weird. I thought we solved that last year…” she mumbled to herself, but the bespectacled teen didn’t hear her, nor paid attention to his surroundings. His hearing felt subdued and his head felt like it was stuffed with cotton. 

“Yo! ‘Kira!” called a voice, which effectively stopped the latter to spiral deeper. He looked up to see Ryuji propped on the archway, grinning at him. He then noticed Lisa standing near him. Ryuji’s face blossomed in red. “O-oh.. you must be S-Silverman” he rubbed the back of his neck. _ Of course Ryuji would become a mess in front of a girl.. _

Lisa waved at him, a bit uneasy at the blond’s presence. She then turned towards Akira, her hand stretched towards him. “See you around, Kurusu-san?” she said. Akira held her hand and shook it. The blonde left the area with a swift move, smiling at Ryuji on her way out. The zio user whistled at Lisa, looking back with a shocked expression.

“Dude… did she said something?” Morgana finally freed himself from the inside of the bag. He looked between Ryuji and Akira with a sour expression.

“She is just a regular girl… nothing else”

\------------------------------------------------

> _ ‘ _ ** _bro! You will not believe me.’_ **

**< ** ** _‘spill it!’_ **

**> ** ** _‘you kno silverman? ‘Tsuya’s girl?’_ **

**< ** ** _‘they arent dating M,’_ **

**> ** ** _‘shut up bruh’_ **

**> ** ** _‘anyway, she was with two other dudes. transfer boy and the track ace’_ **

**< ** ** _‘oh?’_ **

**> ** ** _‘ye. i thought it would be useful’_ **

**< ** ** _‘very. Thanks, bro’_ **

**> ** ** _‘nothin special. tell specs he needs to light up tho’_ **

**< ** ** _‘lovely’_ **

\---------------------------------------------------------------

“So you are saying she was just as I expected.” said Futaba from her spot on the couch. Akira nodded. He called Futaba as soon as he left the school, and wanted to talk about what happened; the hallway, the conversation on the courtyard…

“Aight, but she knows about Personas. And you say you saw Suou’s Persona too?” another nod. “They know each other. And analyzing the post, that makes sense if you think about it. The Phan-site post said _ “she knows too much” _, so it probably meant about her being aware of Personas or knowing Suou”

Now that Futaba was talking about it. It _ did _make sense. “Besides, the post didn’t called for a change of heart…” he thought, seeing Morgana perk up.

“But for _ us to find someone who knew _…!” She finished. They looked at each other, completely surprised. There was a silent agreement in their heads. “Do you think we were reading this the wrong way all along? Asked the hacker, playing with a long strand of hair. Morgana sat on Akira’s lap and looked at the girl. 

“At the time, the things being posted on the Phan-site were requests, so don’t blame yourselves. It was just us being used to it” 

“So basically, the weirdo who is behind this posts is giving us intel? Why? Do they gain something with it?” mentioned the hacker, her eyes drifting back at the currently open tab, displaying the Phan-site.

“We have to be careful. They might be setting us up for a trap” said Morgana. He was right. 

“We should keep an eye on the Phan-site from now on. If another cryptic message like this appears, we need to pay attention to it safely.” assured Akira, fixing his glasses. Both Morgana and Futaba smiled at him.

The raven couldn’t stop thinking about this. Why was someone helping them? He then thought at the mysterious number that texted him. 

** _??: doon’t wooorry! You and your little group will know when the time comes. Be patient_ ** **.**

_ ‘Is it a foe or an ally?’ _

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Akira almost jumped out of his skin when he felt an arm lay across his shoulders. He turned around and saw Ryuji with his trademark smirk on his face. “Yoo dude! Wanna hit the arcade? I wanna blow some steam” 

Akira looked at Ryuji. It has been time they haven’t hung out together. Just the two of them, like old times. A smile adorned his face and he swore he saw Ryuji blush lightly. “Sure. Why not?”

The blonde smiled “sweet! See ya in a while then!” He smiled, jogging to his house for a change of clothes. Morgana looked at his leader with a small smirk.

“Get ready for your date, Joker” 

He was smacked on top of the head for that comment by a flustered Akira.

  * ••••••••• •••••••• •••••••••••

The arcade was as crowded as usual. The neon lights have life to the rather dull and forgotten establishment. Akira was thinking which one try out, but it seemed that Ryuji has all of this planned ahead. 

They played some co-op shooter, then moved to air hockey. Finally, they stopped on a fighting game. Both of them were huddled together, their hands touching and bumping everytime one of them used the joysticks. Akira felt his heart rate spike at the proximity. 

The game ended with Ryuji losing to his friend and letting out a groan “bro! Not fair, you are so much better than me in this..”

Akira smirked, fixing his glasses up “now we are even” the blond pouted and let a huff of indignation. _ Akira wasn’t going to lie, he looked cute like that... _

Both boys jumped at the noise of an engine nearby. They looked behind them and Akira wanted to lunge himself into the nearest pit. There, a few feet away from them, was Tatsuya. He was sporting a leather jacket, ripped skinnies and red shoes. He was leaning against his motorcycle, checking his phone. Ryuji gasped and held Akira close by the arm.

“Dude! What is Tatsuya doin’ here!? He whispered yelled. Akira wasn’t sure either, until it clicked on him. 

“He was going to hang out here with Lisa and another person when we crossed with each other. He went ahead and left Lisa speaking with me” he could hear the blond groan at his side. 

“Broo, this sucks. Are we always going to bump with him every time we get somewhere now!?” They were planning to move towards the cranes to try avoid the senior, until time seemed to slow down around them. The pair saw how all seemed to slowly freeze up.

“What the eff!?” yelled Ryuji, looking up and seeing the sky turn to that red hue, like it did on the hallway back in Shujin. The people around them stopped to a complete halt, and from the ground, hideous creatures started to appear. “What the hell is going on!?”

Akira saw Tatsuya look up at them due to the yelling, then to the beings in front. He tensed up, pocketing his phone and standing from his leaning position. Akira tore off his glasses, attempting to summon Arsene to his aid, wincing when nothing happened. He saw the monsters approach them with vile intent. Realizing the situation they are caught in, he took Ryuji’s wrist and ran to the opposite direction, not giving any room for thinking. 

“What the..dude?!” called Ryuji, stumbling from the sudden jerk but quickly regaining his step. “What the hell?”

“I can’t fight them. _ We can’t _ fight them”

“What!? Didn’t you said you could pull out Arsene when this happened?” said Ryuji, his voice rising in pitch due to the adrenaline. They didn’t felt like this since the time they ran from Shadow Kamoshida’s goonies at the start of their journey last year. 

While running, they saw a pair of huge birds perched on top of the stores, and one spotted them, attempting to lunge at them. Akira was fast, and they turned sharply to a narrow alley. The bird stopped on its tracks and didn’t resumed the chasing. 

Akira and Ryuji stood chest to chest, panting. “Bro, what was that” said the blond. His cheeks turned a red tint when he realized how close they were. Akira seconded, but luckily it was faint enough to be hidden by the darkness of the alley and tried to play it out by messing with one of his bangs. 

“We need to get out of here… we are on a disadvantage” calculated the raven. They should be able to run from any engagement of any fight. He can’t risk Ryuji and him being hurt or killed by these creatures. Akira felt so out of his comfort zone..

The pair peeked out of the alley. Seeing the coast was clear, they stepped out slowly to not gain any attention to them. “Dude, this is so freaky…” commented Ryuji. They walked around the narrow concessions and stores, seeing all the frozen people. _ ‘Could they feel or see what’s going on?’ _

There was a crash, and soon enough, a giant monster with bull features assaulted them. Ryuji grabbed Akira by the collar and moved both of them out of the way. The fist of the monster crashed onto a wall, sending rubble and metal flying. “Are you shitting me!?” 

The monster roared and tried to connect a punch. Akira pulled off his glasses in a desperate attempt, but he was greeted with silence once more. They moved out of the way, stumbling backwards. The giant monster towered over them, its red eyes focused on the teens. Soon, the creature yelled and howled in pain. Akira strained his eyesight and saw the scorch engulfing the monster’s back. _ Fire _. 

An engine reeving took them by surprise. Stopping at their side was Tatsuya, riding his motorcycle and the raven swore he saw a blue hue surround him. _ Of course, he used Apollo. _ “Get on you two. Before the Minotaur recovers”

None of them make any objections and scrambled to the motorcycle, Ryuji sitting in the middle, holding Tatsuya’s waist, while Akira sat on the back end. The three of them took off, and as soon as they left Akihabara, he noticed the reddish sky above them. “What the fuck?” cursed Tatsuya under his breath, shaking the thought out and focusing on driving. One of the birds from before gave them chase, hot on their talons. 

“Oh shit, it’s that thing again!” said Ryuji. Akira turned back and yep, there it was. 

“It’s more hideous up front...” he commented, grabbing Ryuji’s waist tighter when Tatsuya cut a corner sharply. 

“Sakamoto, snap your fingers at it” 

“Huh?”

“Just trust me. Snap your fingers at it” said Tatsuya as he quickly turned to look over his shoulder, his gaze returning to the road ahead. Ryuji blinked, but obeyed the command. His voice reminded him of Akira’s, of _ Joker’s _. He aimed his hand to the bird, and right when it was going to lunge…

** _Snap._ **

A crack of thunder plummeted onto the bird, frying it to pure ashes, only a fistful of feathers that the winds carried out was left behind to know of its existence. Ryuji watched completely gobsmacked, his arm feeling tingly with static. Akira saw the feathers get lost on his eye range, and turned to look at Tatsuya. “The hell…”

“What was _ that _? And the other one you attacked before saving us?” asked Akira. The brunet sighed after a long period of silence.

“Those are demons. They are dangerous, more that you and blondie could handle”

“Demon? As in Shadows?” Tatsuya couldn’t finish his explanation as he skidded the motorcycle to a stop. A monster, this one humanoid and wearing a bird mask, blocked their way and readied its lance towards them. “Fuck! Another one of those!” yelled the blond. They all climbed down from the vehicle in a hassle to get away from the thing’s attack. Akira grabbed Ryuji and Tatsuya by the arms and dragged them out of there.

“ ‘Kira what the hell, man!” 

“Kurusu-!”

  
He released Ryuji and fished for his phone. _ ‘There is _ ** _one _ ** _ place… hope it works!’ _Without thinking, he pressed on the Metaverse app, disappearing from existence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Chinyan: “Darling” or “Lover”
> 
> *Fanna: “I don’t like this” or “annoying”
> 
> Things are finally picking up! Im so excited to write this arc. And who might be the mysterious stalkers? :3c
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	6. Knights of the Holy Grail.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tatsuya, Ryuji and Akira find themselves in Mementos after running away from the Demons. They find something they thought wasn't true. Meanwhile, Futaba, Ann and Haru meet someone who can help them track their missing friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Almost at the end of the month FUCK!
> 
> I don't know if to take a break to finish planning the story but eh, I'm still having fun.  
(One month left until Royal comes out! wooo!)
> 
> Enjoy!

**Chapter 5: **Knights of the Holy Grail.

Tatsuya opened his eyes. The pain on his back was killing him. He was met with a stale ceiling, empty thick vein-like tubes above. He stood up, rubbing his head softly. 

** _‘Where are we?” _ **asked the masked Persona. Tatsuya sighed.

_ ‘I wish I knew, Apollo’ _

The senior, tapped his pocket and _ oh no… _ he patted his pockets again, and the ones of his jacket, looking frantically around. His hand grabbed something on the floor near his leg. The brunet could feel like he could breathe again. _ I thought I lost it for a sec... _

There was a groan not too far from him, and he turned to see _ Kurusu and Sakamoto? _ The senior quickly stood up and analyzed the two figures in black. Thanks to the clear area, he could see the two of them: One had a messy mop of black hair, while the other had an obnoxious yellow color. Yep, Kurusu and Sakamoto laid on the floor near him. _ But why are they in those clothes? _ And most importantly, _ where are they? _

“Dude, next time you throw us into Mementos, warn a guy first. My ass would appreciate it” said the one with yellow hair, Sakamoto, standing up. He had an all black costume, with belts everywhere and a red ascot. He looked sort of like a pirate mixed with a thug. He picked up a mask in the shape of a skull. His brown eyes went to Tatsuya, and they widened rather comically. Sakamoto started to nudge his friend with a bit of aggressiveness. 

“Bro! You brought Suou with us! What the hell?!” Kurusu jolted up and met Tatsuya’s stare. He was wearing a long as shit tailcoat, that divided into three flaps behind him and blood red gloves. He had a domino mask on his face. 

“Oh...oops?” he says. Standing up. Sakamoto follows suit, pinching the bridge of his nose below the mask. 

“Where is this place? And..” says Tatsuya, his hand motioning for the clothes the other teens are wearing. They looked at themselves, then to each other. After a moment of silence, Sakamoto spoke up.

“You’ll prolly sit down. It’s a long story”

\-------------------------------------------------------------

“Have you found them yet?” asked Ann, her hands nervously toying with her pigtails. Futaba shook her head. 

“No trace.. It’s like they disappeared out of thin air! Not only that but I’m getting weird signals…” she said, ticking away on her laptop. Futaba was idly lounging on the attic, when she noticed that Akira hadn't texted her in a while. She tried to get in contact with her step-brother but it was futile, so she tried with Ryuji instead, since they were together at the moment. Also nothing. 

That’s when she started to get worried and now the sudden readings along with the reddish hue that engulfed the sky was enough to make her act and try to pinpoint the boys’ current position ASAP.

Ann sighed, she was becoming restless and not being able to do anything was stressing her out. She wanted to know if her friends where ok and safe. 

“I think I know where they are” said a voice, climbing up the stairs. The girls looked at their guest. Futaba gaped.

“_ No way..! _”

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“And that’s basically it” finished the raven, playing with his gloves. They are on one of the benches near the platform. Luckily they spawned at the entrance of Mementos. Sakamoto stood up and leaned against the wall at their right, his arms crossed. Tatsuya was processing all the information given to him at the moment. 

** _“The true Phantom Thieves, huh?” _ **mumbled Apollo with a snicker. The brunet ignored his Persona and eyed the two teens. 

“And you said you guys have codenames, right?” he mentioned. Kurusu nodded. 

“Yeah, here in Mementos we have to be careful, since it’s the cognition of the entire world and we don’t want our real names to leak out subconsciously” explained the raven, pointing at Sakamoto “He’s Skull, and I’m Joker”

Tatsuya flinched hard at that. _ Joker. _He could feel Apollo tug at his heart too. “J-Joker?” he mumbled. He could feel the eyes of Sakamoto and Kurusu over him. 

“Uh yeah… are you ok, man?” asked Skull from his spot. Even though the mask was obscuring most of his face, Tatsuya could see concern form into his features. The brunet sighed, trying to calm himself down. He nodded after the initial shock wore out.

“Y-yeah.. Just a bad memory crossed my mind there, sorry” he composed himself, flipping open the zippo in his hand, then closing it. Joker seemed to notice that but didn’t say anything. “So you guys are the real deal. The Phantom Thieves of Hearts” 

Both of them nodded, falling back into a deafening silence. Skull opened his mouth. “By the way, man. How did you get your Perso-” he was interrupted by a bone chilling shrill. The three boys looked at the depths of Mementos, the area started to swish and rumble faintly. 

“What’s going on?” asked Tatsuya, standing up and getting into a ready stance. 

“No idea” answered Joker, his eyes flickering for any movement “but it seems to come from deep inside Mementos” 

“Dude, is it safe to go? We don’t have our team complete AND we don’t know what’s in there” objected Skull, moving himself to be in front of Joker. 

“Yeah, you are correct, Skull” said Tatsuya, his eyes narrowing. He gripped his zippo tighter, the flames of Apollo burning through his veins “But I have a feeling whatever that is deep inside, is connected to what happened at Akihabara and Shujin” at his words, Skull whipped towards him.

“Are you sure man!? For real?” 

“I might be wrong but…” he clutched his chest, Apollo’s will warming his core. “We can try. It will be just a peek” 

Both thieves looked at each other. They where thinking about Tatsuya's proposal. After a long period of silence, Skull approached the senior, grabbing his shoulder and giving him a sharp toothed smirk. “Let’s kick ass then, Arson” 

“_ Arson _?” he asked, tilting his head. Joker chirped from behind Skull, hands inside his pockets.

“A codename. We can’t mention your name here so we need to improvise a little” explained the thief, his head tilting to the side. “Are you ok with it?”

“Arson..” He tasted the name, the way it rolled out of his lips. Tatsuya never thought he would smile after all he has been through, but his lips quirked upwards, his Persona’s flame burning with anticipation. “Yeah, I like it”

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**> ‘** ** _yo! bro did you see the sky??’_ **

**< ** ** _‘no?’_ **

**< ** ** _‘ok, wow that’s freaky’_ **

**> ** ** _‘is that what nose man told you about? yikesss that looks sick af but in a bad way’_ **

**< ** ** _‘come on M, it’s not a big deal. We went through worst’_ **

**> ** ** _‘ya but fuck dude. are you sure you kno what youre doing bro?’_ **

**< ** ** _‘chill. I know ‘Jo has everything calculated. My plan is going smooth for now’_ **

**> ** ** _‘i hope specs is right bc honestly man? i dont wanna be demon food again..’_ **

**\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

The trio walked Mementos with awe and anxiety. Ryuji and Akira haven’t been in this place for a whole year and it was a little bit nostalgic, yet weird seeing the cognitive subway so changed. The walk was surrounded in tranquility, due to the strange lack of Shadows. 

“Weird. Why is this place so effin’ empty?” commented Skull with disdain. Joker just shrugged. He looked back at Arson, who had his hands in his pockets. 

“Hey Arson, are we close?” he asked. The mentioned stopped, right in front of a splitting tunnel with three different paths. “How convenient”  
The three of them thought for a while how they were going to tackle the situation.

“I say we _ don’t _split and we go together where the energy is coming from?” said Skull, his arms crossed. “What if the bastard is making us split so we run straight into the mouth of the wolf?” the other two boys looked at each other, debating the words from the blond. 

“He’s right” Said Arson, his hand fiddling with the zippo in his pocket. “We need to be together. You two said this isn’t the Mementos you used to explore, so we don’t know what we could find here now” at his words, Joker pondered. They both were right, but what if that’s _ exactly _what whoever is there wanted them to do? Yet again, they weren’t sure if that was the case or not. Moments like this he wished he had Oracle with them. 

His eyes moved back towards the two boys. Their lives where pending of _ his _ choice. He had to be careful.

“Let’s go together. We can’t risk being separated and one of us being ambushed with no backup” both Skull and Arson nodded, and they followed the brunet’s steps.

“I sense it coming from the middle path. Come on” said Arson, walking through it. Skull stalled, his eyes fixed on the path at his right. _ What the- _

“Skull…” he heard Joker call, and he saw his best friend giving him a silent _ “what is it?” _ Skull shook his head and walked towards the other two.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------

“Oh wow, what happened here?” asked Ann, her eyes scanning the area around them while secured behind a wall. There where monsters they had never seen before roaming the streets of Akihabara. 

“Those guys happened” said Futaba matter-of-factly, huddling closer to Ann’s side. Haru, who met them on their way there, was walking back towards them with her phone in hand. Futaba turned towards her with a small smile “did Mr. Visual Kei told you he was ready?”

Haru nodded. “Yeah, he said he will be back in a few seconds. He needs to prepare himself first, but he gave me this. He called it Clean Salt.” she said, showing a bottle to them filled with, apparently, salt. The other two girl hummed in understanding. 

“Man, I don’t get anything that’s going on” Ann said, tugging some strands off her pigtails. “First the post on the Phan-site, then Akira and Ryuji get missing, now _ this _!” she motioned to the chaos going on outside of their hiding spot. 

“We will try and get intel into this from Clown Guy later, first it’s trying to get Ryuji and Akira back from the Metaverse” said Futaba, looking back to find the person in question “speaking of, he’s here. C’mon gals”

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Are you sure this is the path?” asked Skull, clearly getting worn out. Joker was about to reassure him when a hollow sound reached their ears. It sounded like.. “Is.. that a heartbeat??” asked Skull, moving a bit faster. Arson nodded. They soon stopped in front of a huge door. 

“Here we are. Whatever brought the demons loose is behind the door” he explained. Both Skull and Joker steeled themselves, as Arson pushed the wide doors open. Inside, there was a figure covered in a black hue. 

“No way… but she looked normal!” yelled Skull. The group didn’t want to believe it at first, but Arson had to admit the painful truth.

“Yeah… but then she told me that she couldn’t feel her..” he said, seeing the Shadow version of Lisa Silverman in front of them. 

“Her Persona” finished Joker, to which Arson nodded. 

“Because of that, I assumed it was here”

“But is it the cause of those… things roaming ‘round the surface?” said Skull. Arson turned towards him. The brunet looked at him, and shook his head.

“No.. It might be something else entirely. This Shadow it’s just a holder. A warden, of some sorts.” he explained. The area was filled with distortion and Shadow Lisa growled at them. 

“If Lisa-san has her Shadow resurfaced, that means she has distorted desires…” said Joker.

“But why? And how? She looked normal” asked Skull, crossing his arms over his chest. “I don’t like that we have to steal her heart…”

The Shadow glared at them, mostly Arson, and scoffed. ** _“Well well, look who decided to crawl in… the Phantom Thieves themselves” _ **Arson could feel Apollo shift inside his soul. He shared the sentiment. The brunet looked at his friend’s Shadow self with guilt. He remembers how hard it was for her to accept her Shadow the first time they saw it.

“We’re here to change your heart, Silverman” said Joker. The Shadow laughed.

**_“You? Seriously? I’ll lovee to see you try, then”_** it said, its yellow eyes burning into them. 

The teens clutched in their masks, ready to tear them out. Arson lifted his hand, and Apollo manifested himself behind him in a blue glow. The Shadow sneered and clapped its hands, causing Shadows to appear. 

“It looks like it wants to fight. Ready, Arson?” called Skull, his hand tearing his mask, summoning Seiten Taisei. The brunet nodded.

The teens lunged towards the Shadows, one by one. They where strong enough to keep them busy for a long while, but they still managed to beat the onslaught. 

“Get ready!” commanded Joker, both Arson and Skull poised at his sides. Shadow Lisa growled in annoyance.

**“I’m tired of your presence…” **it hollered, causing the room to shift around in red and black waves. The teens where engulfed by fumes of black, their surroundings spinning around. The three teens where swiftly pulled back, tumbling to the floor. Arson looked up and saw a girl in a red catsuit pulling them back with a whip, a girl with a big, black hat and an axe lifting Joker and Skull. 

The girl in red picked Arson up, and ran away from the room. “Oracle!”

_ “Lisa! _” called Arson in a last attempt, but his call fell in deaf ears as his vision blacked out and they where scooped out of the Metaverse.

  
  


Tatsuya was getting tired of being tossed around into head-splitting portals. Luckily they didn’t have to deal with running away anymore since they were in the real world now. He vaguely looked around and he noticed that he was in an alley, Sakamoto and Kurusu slumped _ really _close to each other. He remembered the Shadow and how they where rescued by other people he never saw before.

“Man you are a handful sometimes, Tacchan~” the brunet perked at the nickname and the voice following it. He looked up to find a familiar face he thought he would never see before.

  
“ _ Michel!? _”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This arc is nearing it's conclusion bit by bit! I can finally add the rest of the P2 cast!
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	7. An Advise From The Author (Might delete when solved)

ok so....

First off, how are yall doing? hope you are taking care of yourselves and the ones around you. Unprecedented times we live in right now...This sadly isn't a chapter, but It's a reason _why_ there isn't going to be one...

I will officially be putting this fic ON HOLD/HIATUS. no, I won't abandon it. I will be posponing it because of the following:

\- **This month has been too..._much_ for me**. it's been too full for me to have a breath already. idk why. besides that I have no space to do stuff. I'm working on a Royal Countdown Fanart piece in which I draw EVERY SINGLE THIEF until March 31th, Royal's release. (not only that but Royal will take my time when it comes out). and now with our current situation worldwide,, I have home chores, homework AND my art lumped on a messy list. I literally have no slot to put this fic and I physically cannot whip a 20-30k+ chapter today, 24th of March.

-** I have no idea on how to direct this story.** Up until chapter 4 I had outlined what I was gonna add. but now i have literally _nothing_ to continue with. Chapter 5 was completely on-the-march, aka thought on while I wrote. what I do have outlined is WAY too far ahead, like the Finale and beyond Arc 2 and 3. nothing for Arc 1, and its funny because it's near it's end... This is the main reason why I was gonna put on hold this fic. to flesh it out. but the point above got into the mix haha...

\- **I need to finish P3, P2 EP and Megami Ibunroku. **this isn't as dire as the two above, but they are important. due to my _suffocating_ re-schedule, I neither had time to finish these games. hell, I haven't even finished my Vanilla P4 run... and on top of that, Royal comes out literally in 7 days like stated before... but I need the info from these games to further continue the story of Hearts. And no. I won't spoil myslef because I already did the effort of starting them, so I am finishing them on my own. (except ya know P4 and P3 since I know what happens in those)

Soooo yeah... i'm sorry you had to wait only for not get anything. I don't know when Hearts is coming back, so I cannot give an exact time..I'm truly sorry. but my IRL life is more important, and if I can't write I won't be lying and giving excuses to ya'll.

Thanks for understanding, and I see ya later!

\- Nash.


	8. NOT A CHAPTER.

Hehe,, 

I come back to announce that I will be reworking this fic. Im not happy how it was turning out, and now that I finally finished Royal I have an idea of what I want this fanfic to be.

so yeah. Sorry for keeping yall in the dark for so long. Since I’ll be taking a break from Persona games now, I will try and work on my ideas/fics I left in the drafts.   
  


thank you for taking you time and continuing support me and my wonky writing. 💚

—ItsAkira

**Author's Note:**

> Again, this story is a big project, but it's something I do for fun and since I have a real life, it will take time. Things listed above might change with time as I also progress with some of the games (P2 Eternal Punishment/P1/the rest of P3) or I just simply change them to suit the story better.
> 
> Thank you so much for understanding and thanks for reading.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Double Trouble](https://archiveofourown.org/works/22496035) by [Thegreatsinnamonroll](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thegreatsinnamonroll/pseuds/Thegreatsinnamonroll)


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